


Cleaning

by Amehika



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Incest, M/M, Post-Canon, Sibling Incest, Some Swearing, Twincest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-05 16:19:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18832219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amehika/pseuds/Amehika
Summary: Dante cleans his desk. Then Vergil finds something of interest.(Post DMC5)





	Cleaning

**Author's Note:**

> It takes the perspectives of both men when they do get out from the Underworld, so there will be lots of thinking from both of them.  
> ...also I am not sure how well I pinned their personalities, but I tried.

Dante was in the middle of cleaning out his desk when he comes across it.

The cleaning wasn't instigated by him, of course, but by Vergil. He was the one who sorely insisted on it, if he wants to live in Devil May Cry as his (only) place to live. And as much as Dante hated the thought of sprucing up the place, he'll bend to his desires for a sanitized home. For once. The ladies were too amused at the idea of seeing Dante agree to something, so he goes along with it.

Though no, as much as Vergil wants to get rid of some things, he's not getting rid of the jukebox or any of the decor that makes the office as it is. Trish and Lady gave up on that long ago, he's sure as hell not going to get rid of some personal touches that he fondly calls 'home'.

"Just as long as there's no pests running around the place." Vergil flatly deadpans and Dante is fine with that.

Said cleaning lasted about a entire good week due to the massive amounts of trash and dust piled up.

All right, Dante's... a bit lackadaisical when it comes to maintaining his living space.

_"A bit is a complete understatement." Trish deadpans. Lady nods in agreement- and slowly, annoyed as he was, so did Vergil._

_"Oh fuck you all!" He refuses to admit they're right, though, resuming to sort his clothing._

And after so much 'spring cleaning' of most rooms in the building- Vergil's room was the only select few areas cleaned at the time- Dante felt like he's just entered into a new place at a new time.

But the last place he's actually assigned himself to clean was his desk, the one furniture in the main area where people can just waltz in, and do whatever is needed.

That's fine and all, but for this one, it's personal.

At least Vergil wasn't around to see this- he was too busy running errands that Dante is sure involves clothing and tailoring. Trish and Lady are on a job Morrison has for them, and Nero's too busy helping Kyrie and Nico with their end in Fortuna City. (Kids, man... they are messy and Dante's seen it first hand. Well, Patty's the main exception. That brat- albeit an adult- still comes around to the office and Dante is certain it's payback for not coming to her birthday party.)

But when he goes through the things in his desk, Dante almost wants to keep it the way it was. That is, until he swore he saw a dead cockroach in a drawer. There was. 

So there came the purging and sorting through all of the items in his drawers- he's also certain there are cobwebs in areas under his desk.

"Damn things." Dante grumbles, managing to finish purging old documents and ancient frayed papers that are now worthless. The trash bag he thought he didn't need is almost full. And with a cleaning spray and several paper towels, he's gotten the worst of the dust and dirtied areas out. He's slowly understanding what Vergil's went through when he inspected the kitchen and rooms for the first time- after their lovely outing in the Underworld.

...okay, everyone's right. He's pretty lazy. _There, I admit it now. Happy?_

So he doesn't want to admit Vergil's right: the place was a mess. Even after Lady and Trish both got the place to a stable line with running water and electricity, it still, was in Vergil's mind, a complete and utter mess. It's especially obvious in Dante's bedroom- and the ladies were **more** than delighted to point that out to Vergil.

The empty whiskey bottles were the most obvious detail (along with the semi pile of dirty clothing but that wasn't the issue) when Vergil glares at him, silently demanding an explanation.

Let's just say Dante actually decided that was the best day Morrison told him he has a job and he happily accepted it, payment or not. A really good reason to escape the building that day- and even better when he realized the job took up a good three days.

He was not looking forward to talk about his alcohol intake with Vergil.

And he manages to not talk about it- and for good reason. He has every reason, yet he knows it isn't healthy for him. He deftly avoided talking about it when he returned, when the next day rolls around, and the next... and Vergil stops asking. Instead, he gets the stares of 'we will talk about this', but Dante just ignores it.

He really doesn't want to talk about it. Not as things are back as how it should have been, how it could have been twenty or more years ago. But no, the reminder of them losing a couple of years was obvious and Dante doesn't want to think about it.

It's not that Vergil really understands him, how deeply it affects him.

Whatever.

Dante wipes his brow, just in his T-shirt and jeans- yes, cleaning is a complete day chore that he honestly hates. His jacket and good clothing should not be wasted on something like cleaning- it will just attract more dust and grime. Then he looks at the last drawer- and he heavily sighs.

The one place he really values as his own personal keepsake area. Nobody has gone through it- not even Morrison when he has the deed to the place.

_At least they respected my wishes to not look in this drawer._

"This was the last thing I wanted to do, but oh well." He gently takes out its contents before wrangling the drawer free. He carefully sets the items down- though scant. It's the items he holds dear to him. Some he doesn't even wear anymore- and he knows he has got to polish the metallic items just to maintain their pristine condition. 

He sighs, taking out the items on the other side that were stuck there - as such, there was a stack of previously unpaid bills that he's been meaning to look at. He has a suspicion that they are now paid off, thanks to the new influx of jobs (are they? He's not certain). His favorite magazines he reads are fraying at the edges, some nearly tearing off at the covers. 

He sets the now empty drawer on the ground next to the cleaning fluid and paper towels. Dante groans and tosses the said bills on the pile of papers that look like payment notices and such. The magazines? Well, they're now going in the trash bin. He'll deal with the important items later.

Right now? Yeah, he's put looking through his finances off long enough, time to tackle that before the other stuff. And he knows he still owes Lady money, as evident by the written IOUs he has written on a lone white paper. "Crap, this will take hours to look over..." He looks around, sees that nobody is around, and hangs his head. "And now, time to look for the accounting book! ...I know it's not here anymore, so where the hell did Verge put it?"

-

By the time he comes back with said books at hand about a good hour and half later, he's tired.

He needs to have a word with Vergil about his so-called organization. The accounting books were neatly placed in the living room bookshelf, hiding itself among the other books. Yet all this time, Dante was looking through every other room- yes, even in the kitchen- and he's made a complete mess in all of them **but** the one room he should've looked in the first place. And Vergil's room. If anyone has a death wish, they can waltz in there and earn their rightful spot on Vergil's hit list. Despite his curious yearnings, Dante knows better than to pry in there.

He usually treats the living room as his secondary bedroom if the jobs were rough- sleeping on the couch while watching the television and their late night infomercials. So he decides to clean everything back up to where they were, which took a bit longer than he would have because he's a bit on the scattered side-

-also, now that he's noticed it, how the hell did he not see the many shit are in every single room!? Thank God for organization...

...wait no, this is why he couldn't find the original accounting book in the first place! So screw organizing.

And so Dante just wants to sit in his leather chair, flop back, and snooze away. He'll handle the pile of bills later-

-and stops when he sees Vergil in front of the desk, looking through his personal memorabilia.

Oh-

Wait.

_...wait a minute, what is he-! Shit, shit shit shit!_

The thing in his hands- He's looking at **that?**

Dante stills, pausing mid-step, but it makes a slight sound that catches Vergil's attention- and his eyes meets his.

_Well, fuck._

Vergil looks up to see him, an unknown emotion crossing his face, eyes meeting his. He places Yamato on the desk with a gentle 'thud'.

There's a rather awkward silence ...that lasts for a good three seconds before Dante makes a step away from the office. He wants to run away to his room and hide, locking the door and not come out for a while. Screw the books- actually, screw what he was doing! He wasn't expecting Vergil back so soon- let alone find that!

"Uh, so, heh, uh... I'm just going to..." And he carefully tries to edge away, holding onto the accounting books still (wouldn't want to lose that unless he wants to get on Trish's bad side). "You know what, Verge? I'll give you some-"

"You kept **this?** " Vergil's voice dares Dante to run away from the room. He presents the item of question to Dante, but he doesn't respond. His throat is all constricted, frozen in place. His eyes still notices the item in Vergil's hands and secretly wants to snatch it away and hide it so Vergil can't find it-

-but no, he's frozen in place, not sure what the hell to say.

"...Well?"

"Uh..." What **should** Dante say? In this situation, anyway? It's not like it will all just come out in one take and just leave things the way they are, not at this moment, anyway! "...I... uh... I just- well, kept it. For... uhh... references?"

Vergil stares at him, eyes narrowed as he eyes Dante with heavy, flat judgement.

Wow, even **he** knew that sounded like a sorry excuse. He can near Nero's voice snarking in the back of his mind that even he knows better than to literally run off from this situation. Fucking brat, he's right. But again, Dante is the type of guy who would literally rather **not** want to talk about anything regarding his scars. Even in front of his older twin- and a lot of those said feelings stemmed from him, to him, and most of it, Dante fears, are potentially unrequited. Vergil might not even feel the same way as he does. So he attempts to forget about them and move on.

(It's harder than it looks.)

And should this be said older twin years ago, he would hear Vergil scoff over some stupid fond shit Dante has hidden for years, say something about how trivial these things are, and then moves on, taunting Dante to fight it out in a dance of blades. Despite the recent events, Vergil does possess a remnant of his prideful self- one that doesn't want to back down from a challenge given to him. Most of it revolves around Dante, but still, this is Vergil he's talking about!

But no. That doesn't happen. Instead, he hears Vergil's heavy sigh and he tosses the item back on Dante's desk. Then his stare to Dante shifts into a glare, one this time lacking the seasoned warrior's bite.

"Dante. We **will** have this talk."

And before Dante can move another step, he hears Vergil's footsteps rapidly approach him. Dante really wants to run away as far as he can because no, he absolutely refuses to talk about this-

-but from the way he suddenly feels the other close in proximity, Vergil's eyes literally glaring straight to his eyes, and his hand balling his shirt. "We. Will. Talk."

"Okay. ...okay, Vergil. I'll- I'll talk." Dante gulps, instinctively wetting his dry lips because well, shit, this is just **not** comfortable at all. The air just got tense and he didn't even get a chance to drink water yet. _Yeeeeeeeah I'm fucked, aren't I?_

And just when things were going back to be smooth as it was before when they returned from the Underworld.

"Good." But Vergil makes no attempt to budge. In fact, if its even possible, did his eyes just dilate a bit? Nah, Dante's imagining things and he's just wiped from cleaning the other rooms earlier. "Let's talk about that glove of yours and why you still possess it, even all of these years after."

Dante stills before he groans, bowing his head back. "Look, if you want to know the short, cute version, I wanted to see if I can get it repaired! And well, I grew out it. And I got new ones. Better fitting too."

"Uh huh." Vergil's eyes narrow.

"What!? It's the truth, I swear!" _Please stop asking, stop asking!_

The other's eyes were still staring at him, a quiet scoff escaping him. " _'We are led to believe a lie, When we see not thro' the eye.'*_ "

Dante's eye twitches. For fuck's sake- is this the Blake poet commentary again!? Nero's told Dante the poet's name, Kyrie read this poet and his works before, and it's obvious now who Vergil quotes most often because- well, as if Dante knows **why**. Also, is it just him, or does Vergil love to irritate the ever loving hell out him with these quotes of his? (Because if anyone caught onto it, no one else but Dante did...) "For those not well-versed in poetry, Ver-"

"I can tell you're lying to me, you idiot."

Ah. Well. _That's... not good at all._

Dante warily breathes, attempting to clam up again in hope of Vergil will give up talking to him- but no, he's not budging. "...then you better hold onto it and just leave it alone, there's no sense on drudging up the past."

_Just let him breathe, let him keep going, he'll give up eventually..._

Vergil's scoff turns into a rather soft, if not morose chuckle. His hold on Dante's shirt tightens. "It's rather interesting that you say that. For someone who has claimed many times to have moved on, you seem to have trinkets that remind you of it."

And Dante stills, realizing that it wasn't just the glove that was in the drawer that Vergil saw. And he knows, because he's kept them all in private, away from prying eyes and inquiries that will leave him wanting to drown it all away, making him deep in thought about 'what ifs', 'could have', 'should have', 'would haves'. And he would attempt to muffle those ghosts of the pasts, trying to make sure he doesn't suffer through it any more than he already has by drowning them away.

He has the skeleton of what was once his mother's amulet- now replaced with a replica of her gem; the silver and gold bonds are still in place, slowly oxidizing from the lack of care. He still has his mother's portrait, the only one image of his childhood he retains, but refuses to speak of. Items that once belonged to people he's ever gotten close to in his teen years scatter here and there- a ring, a handmade bracelet, a pair of earrings he's refused to open. A picture of a crumpled family photo he used to be connected to that could fit in the size of a wallet. A set of screws and bolts of a pistol he's wrecked prior to his most prized Ebony and Ivory. A branded lighter from a strip club a former contractor of his lived prior to his move to a different 'safer' city...

And the last one, one of his dearest items that he's only laid eyes on twice: once after he took it off and shuts the drawer, once again after he's met Nero for the first time. A former dark brown leather glove that Dante thought (once upon a time when he was a cocky bratty kid at twenty) looked cool on him, blood stained at the clean cut that remains at the palm.

The only reminder he has of Vergil, the last time they've ever touched hands, and the last time he thought he would see Vergil before Mallet Island...

...and then killed with his own two hands (one scarred, one good) and then he notices the pale white corpse of his brother before Mundus took it away from, taunting him from his purposed loss.

It hurts. Even with a well of unsaid emotions and feelings he should have told Vergil. His love for him...

...he should have told him, he should have fallen with Vergil that day, he should have-  _would have-_

"Let me go." Dante's throat suddenly feels heavy- constricted by his heart up his throat as his voice grows thick. "Please."

He really needs to stop these memories from returning, the loss, the amounts of grief he's welled up, the feelings he's too familiar with and doesn't want Vergil to know-

-ones Vergil is not used to in his mind because who was Vergil to know how horrible Dante felt all these years-

"No." But Vergil's response is much softer, lacking his snide bite, and Dante tries so hard not to imagine Vergil's reaction is different than he's seeing. The hand loosens around his shirt, but another one cups his face, gently feeling his hardened face, slowly caressing it.

Wait, was this- still the same Vergil that stands before him? "Dante... how deep was your suffering? It might not seem like it, but I do want to know."

"You-" And Dante tries to shove those emotions back down. After so many years of doing so, why the hell were they coming out now? At this time, out of all the times- in front of Vergil, out of all the goddamn people in Earth?! The one responsible for all of these emotions and has now come back with a vicious vengeance- and after all this has happened,  **now** Vergil wants to know!? 

What the  **fuck** was Vergil going on about, when he has no clue how the hell it felt about feeling discarded by the one person he's been wanting to search for, to bring home, to protect after all of these years!? 

Did Vergil even **_understand?_**

"You don't know what I've went through-" He attempts to gain a better grasp at his voice, to prevent it and himself from shaking so much. His anger returns, "-the years I've endured with what you've done to me-"

"To those years that I've spent, wandering if there is a way to defeat you, to help you find a purpose for fighting again. ...for those sins and crimes I have done to only find a much heavier price in consequence- I **know**."

And Vergil sighs. Closes his eyes and opens them again- and this time, with a softer look, one that he's managed to gather enough courage to say, for the last decade he's lost between him and Dante, for the times he's lost, for the time he regrets placing him through, Vergil murmurs, "...I'm sorry."

It was low, hoarse. And the most genuine apology he can say to Dante.

And it's what breaks Dante, pierces through the invisible defense nobody else but Vergil noticed.

His anger halts- and it abruptly changes to something deeper. Dante gasps, rapidly blinks, tears falling from his face. "V-Vergil-"

"Dante. I know how much I've lost. ...the gravity of it all, I know. The toll of it deepened with time." And then he loosens the hold on Dante's shirt, but not before Dante feels arms slowly wrap around him. "Please... tell me. Why do you keep suffering like this- when all you can do is to just talk to me?"

Dante stills, his emotions barely containing themselves much longer. "Vergil-"

" **Please.** " _Please stop suffering, Dante. I can't bear to see you torment yourself like this any longer._

And sobs escape him, tightening his hug on Vergil as he starts crying.

-

As V, he knew. He's realized the true extent of what he has done- for the sake of power. In light of it all, he was rather foolish to throw away the one reason he still fights for. When he was young, he didn't even think twice- all he thought is that one action is done, he has enough to do the rest- he has more than enough time to carve out his path. Then he would bring Dante with him, allow it to come with ease. The source of power eluded him, he resorted to research, searching before the opportunity appeared in Temen-ni-gru. He would only need Dante's half of the amulet, gain the power needed, and then return.

But things don't work out that way, do they?

Vergil knows: he been defeated not once, but many times- as separate, as whole. By Mundus, who tore through him and used him as a puppet. ...and then by Dante, who had his own power, but found in a different light.

And now, here stands Vergil, someone who has consumed far more power than he desired... only to realize his source of power was here all along. Urizen, being his demon side, knew how much rage and power Dante held, how much delighted he is in seeing him again, yet held so much hope that Dante can change him. V knew how much heart Dante has- the ability to change someone's mind for the better should he put forth his best effort.

A part of Vergil wanted to tell Dante to kill his demonic side, but it will make things much worse for his younger brother. And then, when defeat came and he reforms back to himself, to stand and see Dante and his son stand before him- one more shocked than the other...

...he was more than happy to see Dante again. (If it wasn't for the fact Nero was next to him, silently wanting answers that he can't give, then Vergil could have done more. He's not open to the boy as he is to Dante- the one who still matters to him. This was not Nero's fight- it was his and Dante's alone.)

And yet he wonders how his own ambition blinded him, straying far off from the path he should have gone on. It landed him on brinks of death, corruption, and isolation- the one path he thought was best. Yet in spite of it all, Dante still persists in his mind. Was, still, always... did it really matter now? He's here now.

Vergil wasn't daft. He knew Dante will be stronger than him. He heard whispers from the Underworld, even as far as to the domain he was trapped in, to hear of his younger brother's feats. To Dante, they were just jobs. To Vergil, they were stories waiting to be told.

After Mundus, there came Argosax; how Dante lept into the Underworld at the behest of his companion- _Who is this companion and how dare this person try to connect with my brother?_ He had thought, seething with jealousy. It was not Trish. Lady would not even think about it. Nero was too young.

Two demons who were once his fathers' best pupils, to attempt to kill Dante- yet Dante honors their battles to their demised end. How another, lesser demon was sealed once again- one who an alchemist has attempted to control, to only be bested by the Son of Sparda, the Legendary Dark Warrior Dante. The title his father once held is now only a mere title to whoever gains it: Dante holds it with interested humility. Vergil hears it with pride, yet with scorn.

And to his surprise, how Dante and one other- his son Nero, as it turns out- defeated a man who wanted to be God and tried to unleash Hell with Yamato.

Vergil desperately wanted to join Dante. To fight with him, be with him once again- it was something he should have done. But the desire to be strong, his lust for battle was ever present- on par with his desires that he should have make clearer. He purged all of Mundus' influences away- and hatched a terrible, yet effective idea to get both at once: absolute power and his brother. To get his brother's attention, away from the others, to defeat Dante and make sure his eyes were always on him and to nobody else's-

-that was just selfish. It suits his reasoning- selfish for power, selfish for attention, selfish for knowledge, selfish for Dante.

His mother said he had a selfish personality while Dante had the selfless one. He wonders how true this holds.

Yet- "' _Nev_ _er seek to tell thy love, Love that never told can be...'*"_  He quietly murmurs, hands tightening around his sobbing brother, not wanting Dante to know how he truly feels yet. He feels for his loss, he aches to know if he can heal Dante for the many harmful events, actions that tore them apart. 

He is the older brother, after all: he's supposed to take care of Dante. Instead, Dante takes care of others and never himself- and Vergil silently witnesses Dante's gradual breakdown. When they were children, Dante is more open, impulsive; Vergil the more quiet, calculative one. Yet when he sees Dante bawling with a skinned knee or elbow, Vergil runs over, bandages him, kisses him to make the aches go away. That was years ago. Decades, ago- before it quickly ended.

Now Vergil knows Dante is cautious around others. He is not as open, but the impulsiveness turned into cocky courage. The little boy grew up to be the Dante he saw nearly two decades ago- and now time altered him. Dante slips to a mask too easily, smiling simply as he sees fit. Yet he silently suffered, something Vergil knew was his responsibility. What was done in the past affected and haunts him. It's evident as he saw with the copious whiskey bottles in his brother's room. The obvious lack of a housemate even more so- he even spies that Dante doesn't sleep in his own quarters, taking refuge in the living room couch or in the office chair, however uncomfortable the latter must have been.

Vergil has been the one to ask Dante about it, but his younger brother finds ways to avoid talking about it. It was evident before, even after he said he came to keep an eye on Vergil in the Underworld. Decimating demons and finding a way out of the Underworld were the only two things they had in common- otherwise, their communication was limited to brotherly fights, tussles, and even the occasional reminiscences. He knows Dante has smiled with his genuine expressions there. 

But months later, after they returned to the human world, it's as if the Dante he saw is suddenly gone, replaced by the man before him. The one he's seen as V.

_Your word that you will keep an eye on me- Is this a promise that you will never leave me again?_ The thought of Dante leaving aches Vergil now as it did then; as V, he was more than vehement when Dante cast him aside, telling him to watch over himself and be careful. For safety? Perhaps, but the show of it was horrid. Hypocritical? Yes. By far, he deserves that title. Needy? ...perhaps. He's missed Dante. How else was one supposed to say how he feels? Evil? ...no. He refuses to be associated with that word- by both his son he's trying to get in better relations with (it's very slow) and Dante (who knows too well the feeling of betrayal. Vergil regrets the actions of his younger self to never walk back to his twin.)

And then, right when as things start to lull and Vergil is tempted to make the first move by bluntly telling Dante everything, he comes back to the office from errands- and spies the gloves Dante wore on the last night they saw each other.

Atop of Temen-ni-gru, he can still feel Dante's grip on his hand, pleading with him not to let go, to only have Vergil slice his palm and let him go, for he doesn't want to drag Dante down with him.

The sin, he thought, was his to bear alone. The burden to protect everyone he loves- Dante.

And now...

_...now..._

"Dante." He can feel the other attempting to calm himself. But he see the cracks in Dante's mask, the one his brother tries so desperately to hide behind. There's more to him than he lets on- and Vergil is the only one who knows. The others? They know a good extent of his true feelings, but only Vergil knows his intimate ones.

After all, they are halves of a whole. And Vergil retains that with his silent, possessive thought. _He's **mine** to hold. Not yours._

"Dante." This time was more successful in letting Dante meet his face- and Vergil gives off a soft chuckle. Dante was crying, sniffling, and he thought he couldn't have look any more beautiful than he has since the last they saw each other. "Do you want to talk in a better environment that isn't in front of an office?"

"A-Ah. Right. ...yeah. That'll be nice." And he notices Dante still has the accounting books clutched in his left hand. They were rather uncomfortable to feel against his chest, but Vergil didn't say anything about them at the moment. "Uh. Let me... let do something first-"

"The books?" Vergil asks and Dante mumbles something about wanting to put them back where they were. "I'll take them."

"Wait, I was going to take them back-"

But Vergil decides against it. If Dante wanted to look at them, they'll look over it together. Instead, he gingerly pries the books from his brother's hand and tosses it to the floor- and notices that his hands were glove-free. And his left hand still retains the scar from so many years ago. It's faded in its color, but the mark is evident.

"...so it remains true- some marks never fades, even with time."

"Huh?" Despite how stuffy his voice sounded, Dante never ceases to amuse him with his baffled stare.

_I'll risk this one action, even if it means he'll find attempts to steer clear from me. ...but for anything, for my love for him..._

He lifts Dante's left hand before pressing his lips to Dante's palm, near the scar, eyes barely closed. It's an unusual thought, but he's silently flattered that Dante has never allowed this scar to fade away.

He looks up again, but notices Dante doesn't flinch. Nor does he move. In fact- and Vergil thinly smiles at this- his younger brother's face is dusted a light red.

"V-Vergil." He barely whispers and Vergil savors it. He doesn't admit it, but he loves Dante.

"What I have done, I'm sorry. While I can make for it in actions, with my words, I know a part of you is still angry at me for what I have done." And he knows; there are days Dante still believes Vergil will one day leave him, do what he desires and leave him to the side. That would have stayed true prior to Temen-ni-gru. After it all, however, it wasn't worth it. Not anymore. "I know my apologizes will never be enough, to make up for the lost time. But I will promise this: I will no longer destroy your trust, betray you, nor leave you."

"Is that-" There is hope alight in Dante's eyes, one he hasn't seen in a very... very long time. "That's- a lot to keep."

"For a promise? Yes." One he definitely plans to retain forever.

And Dante's mask breaks off- and he sees the smiling, laughing with so much joy that he feels Dante embrace him once again. It nearly catches Vergil off-guard, but he's accepted this. He closes his eyes, savoring the warmth Dante gives him- they are opposites, yet they complete each other, so well.

Never mind not telling Dante how he feels.

"There is one last thing I should tell you." Vergil murmurs and he sees Dante look at him.

_Now or never._

His face is close to his brother's, his arm around his waist, another cupping his chin, his face, murmuring, " _'Love and harmony combine, And around our souls entwine-*_ "

"For fuck's sake, Vergil! If you want to kiss," Dante decides to cut in, breathless in his quiet laugh. It wasn't offensive- it just caught Vergil off guard. "Just do it already!"

So-  _Dante feels the same way?_

"And here I was going to do it my way." Vergil chuckles, eyes narrowing. _How curious... shall I exploit it for you?_  "But if you insist."

And their kiss, as simple as it was, was just as how each of them imagined it would be. And when it ended, it was just Dante's forehead resting against Vergil's- and Dante lightly chuckles.

"I- well, didn't think it would lead to this."

"Not you." But Vergil's arms aren't going to let go. Not yet- he has more to tell Dante. "Let's go. Shall we?" Presenting their shared feelings, their rare moment of intimacy. It is a treasured moment for them.

"With-" And Dante's eyes flash in realization about something. "Wait, my desk, it needs to-"

Vergil decides now was the best time to shut him up with another kiss. A more needy, intense one, this time. This time, a bit more on the unforgiving side; the one he's been holding back for a long time.

"Forget about it for now. We can deal with it later." He lowly growls- and he chuckles when he hears Dante squeak. "If you do it now, I just might do something rather out of character."

"And- that is??"

He whispers it to Dante's ear (something he's been wanting to do)- and he relishes how **red** Dante gets. He allows the thought to sink in to his brother's head and he chuckles, seeing the blush grow darker every second. Then Dante eeks out a rather mumbling, "A-Are you- I mean- it's a thought for later, but-"

"Later." And so much later- they do have the time, after all. "But for now... I think somewhere more comfortable will be nice, don't you think?"

"Fine, but at least- crap, Trish is going to kill me with those accounting books..."

Vergil hums, carefully mapping out Dante's neck with his lips. He gently bites at his nape- he silently notes the way his brother shudders at the harsh nips. But doing it here? Not an option. "Forget about it. You have different needs to attend to right now."

"Take care of- V-Vergi _ah!_ " The moans were **definitely** getting to him- and in the way Vergil wants to keep hearing. Then Dante turns to face him, lips flushed, face red. The marks on his neck are slowly healing, but the redness remains. Good. "R-Room?"

" **My** room."

At least people possess the sensibility not to bother him or Dante there.

They'll deal with cleaning Dante's desk later.

**Author's Note:**

> * All three of those quotes are from William Blake, I forgot where they are from, but one of them's from Love and Harmony.


End file.
